Components of gas turbine engines are subject to wear and damage. Even moderate wear and damage in certain components may interfere with optimal operation of the engine. Particular areas of concern involve the airfoils of various blades and vanes. Wear and damage may interfere with their aerodynamic efficiency, produce damaging dynamic force and imbalances, and even, in more extreme cases, structurally compromise or damage parts.
Because blades tend to be forced outwardly within a rotor due to centrifugal forces during operation, wear between interlocking portions of a blade and the rotor in which the blade is disposed is an area of interest.